Kimi Ga Iru Kara
by Aesculapian
Summary: AU. Itachi looked at Sasuke again. "He needs you more than I do right now. Take care of him for me. Will you promise me, Iruka-kun?"
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Nii-san**

* * *

There were bodies everywhere.

"Nii-san," Sasuke whimpered. "Nii-san, help me."

The doors behind him burst open and in his haste to run, Sasuke tripped over a dismembered arm. He fell hard, back facing his attacker. Arms closed around him and Sasuke screamed. The arms lifted him and Sasuke found himself nose to nose with terrified brown eyes.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun, are you hurt?" Umino Iruka frantically searched his body for any hidden injuries.

Sasuke gripped Iruka's chuunin vest. "Iruka-san…they're all dead." His body went limp.

Iruka cradled the child close and choked back a sob. He had to hurry if he wanted to find Itachi. Iruka secured Sasuke against his chest and ran towards the forest. Itachi wouldn't wait for him any longer than necessary.

Iruka followed the quickly dispersing trail of chakra Itachi had intentionally left behind. He found the younger boy standing on a low branch, staring in the direction of the village gates. Itachi didn't acknowledge his presence immediately. Iruka waited patiently for Itachi to turn around. It was his loyalty that had led him here. Itachi was his friend and for now that was enough to give Itachi the benefit of the doubt. Still, Iruka was hyperaware of the kunai he had slipped into his hand when Itachi turned around.

"What have you done?" Iruka shifted Sasuke so that the boy was balanced on his hip.

Itachi looked at Sasuke's unconscious body with an unreadable expression.

Iruka's vision blurred and hot tears fell from his eyes.

Itachi moved so quickly that Iruka almost jerked back. A hand coated in blood reached to wipe the scarred face. "Don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

"Take us with you. Whatever your reason is, I don't need to know. I trust you, and I can help you." Iruka leaned into the touch. The smell of the drying blood flooded his senses and he fought back the bile that rushed up his throat.

"I don't want that for you, Iruka-kun." Itachi's smile barely existed, but what there was of it was genuine. "You're my only friend."

"Then please," Iruka begged. "Let me help you."

Itachi looked at Sasuke again. "He needs you more than I do right now. Take care of him for me. Will you promise me, Iruka-kun?"

Iruka tightened his hold on Sasuke, defeated. "I won't let him hate you."

Itachi touched his cheek again. "Iruka-kun. Thank you."

"I love you," Iruka replied, but Itachi was already gone.

Iruka gently manoeuvered Sasuke so that one arm was hooked under the child's legs and the other around his shoulders.

"Take him," a deep voice ordered. Iruka's breath left him as two ANBU appeared in front of him and ripped Sasuke from his arms.

"NO!" Iruka reached for the boy, but the ANBU had disappeared.

Iruka spun around and glared at a third ANBU, the one that had given the order. He stood tall in a dog mask.

"Where is Uchiha Itachi?" Dog asked.

Iruka kept his mouth shut.

"Aiding a missing nin is treason," Dog continued.

"Where have you taken Sasuke-kun?" Iruka demanded.

Dog stepped forward. "I guess you want to do it the hard way."

Iruka didn't try to back away. He didn't stand a chance against and injuring himself would only hurt his chances of getting Sasuke back.

"I don't know anything. Itachi…he…Itachi asked me to look after Sasuke-kun. So please, please give him back to me," Iruka begged.

Dog responded by knocking Iruka out.

Iruka came to in a dark, underground room. The only piece of furniture was the chair he sat in. His eyes strained to make out his surroundings. He was bound so tightly that he could barely move his head, but the ropes lacked any chakra. He let out of a breath of relief. He wasn't in any serious trouble. His jounin sensei, Morino Ibiki, had taught him a lot about interrogation and torture over the past four years. If Iruka really wanted to, he could break free of the ropes that bound him. He resisted the temptation however. Freeing himself would not go over well and only make him look guiltier. He had to cooperate.

A presence moved behind him.

"Sensei," Iruka greeted bitterly. "Where is Sasuke-kun?"

Ibiki came around and loomed over Iruka. "I want every detail of your encounter with Uchiha Itachi, Iruka. Uchiha Sasuke has been sedated and will not wake for another hour at least. Tell me everything and you'll be by his side before he wakes up. Understand?"

Iruka had nothing to hide from his sensei. Ibiki knew of his friendship with Itachi and he knew Iruka was devoutly loyal to the ex-ANBU.

"I understand."

The ropes fell away and Iruka quickly stood. He looked unwaveringly into Ibiki's eyes and recounted the brief conversation. Ibiki's face gave away nothing.

"You have confessed to nearly committing treason, Iruka." Ibiki looked away. "Deserting the village and aiding a missing nin…you idiot. Nevermind Sasuke, you could be stripped of your vest and jailed for this."

"This is very concerning indeed," came another voice.

Iruka gasped. "Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi came forward and regarded Iruka with pity. "I prayed that my worries of your attachment to Itachi would not end badly, Iruka-kun. You, who trusts so easily, are everything I wanted to protect when I first became Hokage. As your friend I want to look the other way, but as your Hokage, I cannot make an exception."

Iruka fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor. Sarutobi's eyes widened.

"I will accept any punishment, but please let me see Sasuke-kun. I promised to take care of him, Hokage-sama. Punish me, but please don't punish him. I beg you."

Sarutobi couldn't help but smile. "What good is being Hokage if you can't make exceptions, huh?"

Iruka's head shot up. "Hokage-sama…"

"You will be stripped of your status as tokubetsu jounin and demoted to chunin. You will no longer be able to work for Ibiki-san. We will never speak about your conversation with Uchiha Itachi again." Sarutobi knelt and placed a wizened hand on Iruka's shoulder. "I will approve your adoption of Uchiha Sasuke and you will be provided with a small stipend for his needs."

Iruka was crying again. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"We have had enough tragedy on this day," Sarutobi mused. He pulled Iruka into a standing position. "You will not let me down again, Iruka-kun."

Iruka bowed from the waist. "I will prove myself to you, Hokage-sama, no matter how long it takes."

Sarutobi chuckled. "In that case, please come see me in three days."

Iruka agreed without questioning it. "Hokage-sama, Ibiki-sensei, where is Sasuke-kun?" Iruka asked.

"He's being guarded in your home," Sarutobi revealed. "You are free to go, Iruka-kun."

Iruka thanked him and fled as quickly as he could. He would have to make it up to Sarutobi another time. Right now Sasuke was more important.

It took Iruka 20 minutes to run to his small apartment. It was a shoebox, but it was home. Iruka unlocked the front door with shaky hands and moved towards his bedroom quietly. He didn't want to startle the boy in case he had already awoken.

Iruka sighed in relief when he saw Sasuke was still unconscious. A figure stepped out of the shadows.

"You!" Iruka gasped.

Dog tipped his head mockingly. "At your service."

Iruka bit back the dozen awful things he wanted to hurl at the ANBU, but it was too soon to test the Hokage's patience. He had only just been excused from facing a serious criminal sentence after all.

"Thank you for watching over him," Iruka said begrudgingly. "I'll stay with him now."

Dog inclined his head in acknowledgement and disappeared. Iruka sat down on the floor next to the bed. He wanted to shower and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't risk Sasuke waking up alone. His cheeks were stiff with dried blood. Iruka decided he could risk washing his face. There was a bathroom attached to his bedroom and he could leave the door open. Sasuke probably wouldn't appreciate seeing the blood either, Iruka reasoned.

He struggled to his feet and left the door open as he showered and changed into fresh pyjamas. Sasuke hadn't woken up at all. Iruka sank down on the floor beside the bed again and let his head rest against the side. His eyes closed and he fell asleep before he could struggle to remain awake.

Panicked cries woke Iruka.

"Sasuke-kun!" Iruka pushed himself onto the bed. He pulled the child into his arms.

"NII-SAN," Sasuke screamed.

Iruka buried his face into Sasuke's hair as the boy continued to scream for his brother.

Sasuke's screams quieted and he stared at Iruka with wide tear-filled eyes. "Where's nii-san?"

The fear in his voice was palpable.

"He's alive," Iruka replied gently. "He had to leave Konoha."

"W-why? Okaasan…otousan…everyone…" Sasuke struggled to continue. "There was so much blood."

"I don't know, Sasuke-kun. I wish I had an explanation for you." Iruka pulled back and wiped away the tears that were drying on the boy's face. "But I promise you I'll find out."

Sasuke lay back down and stared at the ceiling blankly. "Nii-san killed them."

Iruka swallowed painfully. "Your nii-san loves you, Sasuke-kun. What he did...I trust Itachi, Sasuke-kun, I know he did this because he had no other choice."

Sasuke looked at him. "Where did nii-san go?"

Iruka shook his head. "I don't know."

Sasuke turned so that his back faced Iruka, dismissing him.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun."

As Iruka left the room, he heard hitching sobs.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hmm, I'm a little rusty. Forgive me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Promises Made**

Sasuke stayed in Iruka's bed for as long as he could before his stomach began to cramp with hunger. He reluctantly hurried to the bathroom and cleaned himself up before making his presence known in the kitchen.

Iruka smiled kindly and got to his feet. "Have a seat please. I'll warm up some lunch for you."

Sasuke glanced over at the papers that Iruka had been attending to. He could make out the words, "adoption", "finance", and "application" on the headers of some of them.

Sasuke didn't question it for the time being. He sank into a chair at the kitchen table and watched quietly as Iruka absentmindedly. He blinked a few minutes later as a hand gently dropped on his shoulder.

"Please eat as much as you can, Sasuke-kun." Iruka nodded to the plate that had been deposited on the table while Sasuke was zoning out.

Sasuke looked at the plate with some surprise. "Tomatoes…"

"They're your favourite, aren't they?" Iruka said, returning to his papers.

Sasuke turned to stare at Iruka, but Iruka didn't return the look. A shaky hand gripped chopsticks and Sasuke began to eat. Once he was done, he washed the plate and set it beside the sink to dry.

"We have a lot to talk about," Iruka said as Sasuke sat down in front of him. "Things are going to be difficult from now on, but I would like to help you bear your burden. Itachi is my best friend, and I promise you that I will help you make sense of this. The only condition I have is that you trust me."

Sasuke stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before he leapt to his feet in anger.

"Nii-san…nii-san is a murderer! How can you…" Sasuke broke off as his face screwed up and he fought back tears. "How can you defend him? How can you still call him your friend?!"

Iruka cursed himself. His loyalty to Itachi had blinded him to Sasuke's needs.

"Sasuke-kun." Iruka reached out, but Sasuke stepped away from him. "I believe with all my heart that Itachi would never betray his clan and he would _never_ hurt you without reason. I have to believe in him, Sasuke-kun. I have to. If I don't, I won't have anyone left." There was a tremor in Iruka's voice as he said this.

Sasuke's whole body shook violently with repressed sobs.

"Give me time to prove it to you," Iruka pleaded.

Sasuke didn't move. Iruka's words had struck him. He felt the impending loneliness of one who has lost everyone. He wanted to cling to Iruka's beliefs. He didn't want to lose his last remaining family. His brother had protected him and taught him, he had raised him in ways his parents did not have time for. To lose Itachi…Sasuke didn't want to think about it.

"I'm going to get stronger," Sasuke said softly. His head was bowed and Iruka couldn't see his expression clearly. "I'm going to avenge my clan."

"You asked me how can I trust Itachi, well now I'm asking you how can you doubt him so easily? He spent his entire life proving his dedication to your clan! He has spent your entire life protecting you!"

Iruka was on his feet. He knew Sasuke was just a child, and he was a wounded child, but the path that Sasuke was about to take would destroy him.

Sasuke finally looked Iruka in the eye. Red-rimmed eyes took in the teen's anger with wariness and surprise. "Can you really prove that nii-san is innocent?" Sasuke asked after several seconds of silence.

Iruka frowned. "I'll do everything I can," he vowed.

Sasuke sat down again. "Then I'm going to get stronger so I can protect nii-san."

Iruka smiled in relief.

His smile was wiped away by a familiar presence at his window.

"Dog-san," Iruka kept his tone civil.

The ANBU stepped down from the ledge. "It's Hound." Nothing gave away Hound's annoyance at being referred to as Dog, but Iruka flushed with embarrassment all the same.

Sasuke couldn't help the small huff of laughter that escaped him.

"Hound-san! I apologize!" Iruka bowed lowly, his face hot and eyes wide.

Iruka straightened. "What can I do for you, Hound-san?"

"The Hokage would like to see you. I will be guarding the boy in the meantime." Hound moved forward and Iruka shifted into a protective stance. He hadn't forgotten Hound's orders and he hadn't forgotten the feeling of Sasuke being torn from his arms.

Hound stopped. "He'll be safe," he reassured calmly. "Hokage-sama's orders."

Iruka couldn't ignore that. Sandaime would never hurt Sasuke, so he had to trust in his judgement. He turned to look at Sasuke who looked a little afraid.

"I'll be back soon, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke glared distrustfully at Hound, but nodded. His eyes met Iruka's with more trust than Iruka felt he deserved.

"Hokage-sama," Iruka greeted with a bow.

Sandaime smiled. "It's hard to believe that you're the same boy that pranked me just a few years ago."

Iruka flushed and rose. "Don't tempt me, jiji."

Sandaime chuckled. "I'm afraid you may end up seeking retribution after a few days at your new job."

"We'll need the income so I'm grateful for any position that you grant me, hokage-sama," Iruka replied.

"In that case, you will be working at the mission desk part-time from now on."

Iruka didn't bother to disguise his horror. He refrained from complaining. His punishment could have been much worse, and at least he was making some sort of income this way. It wouldn't be enough though and although he could make more taking missions, Iruka didn't want to leave Sasuke alone. He bit his lip. There was a solution, but he wasn't sure if he'd be allowed it after his recent transgressions.

"Jiji…can I study to be an academy teacher?" Iruka looked at the hokage with determination. "I'll work at the mission desk, and I'll even work overtime, but I'd like to take the teaching exams by next year."

Sandaime was surprised. "An academy teacher?"

Iruka nodded. "I can stay in the village and I can continue to work at the mission desk, but I'll be able to earn enough to provide for Sasuke that way."

Sandaime smiled. "Iruka-sensei…it does have a ring to it."

Iruka flushed. "You'll give me bad luck by calling me that before I'm certified!" he complained, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips.

"I can't say I'm not looking forward to all the pranks your students have in store for you," Sandaime teased. "I'll have to get myself a front row seat and thank karma."

Iruka scowled. "If that's everything, jiji, I'd like to get back." Iruka bowed again and hurried out, dismissing himself.

Sandaime's eyebrow twitched. "Respectful Iruka-kun was cute while he lasted," he murmured regretfully.

Sasuke watched the ANBU warily from his seat near the door.

Hound was examining Iruka's apartment with no apparent interest.

"Did you work with nii-san?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

Hound didn't even bother to turn around to face the boy.

Sasuke scowled. Maybe he could train while he waited for Iruka to return. Sasuke opened the door and when Hound made no move to stop him, exited and headed for the nearest training field.

Hound followed the boy, curious despite himself.

Sasuke stood in front of a large tree and tried to clear his mind. Itachi had been teaching him chakra control for the past year and a few low-level jutsus. Sasuke wasn't very proficient with the jutsus yet, but his chakra control was genin-level already. Sasuke inhaled deeply and began to walk towards the tree as he exhaled. He planted a foot firmly against the base of the tree and began to climb. He managed 10 steps before he slipped.

Hound smiled behind his mask. The little brat had promise. He carefully observed Sasuke as the boy attempted the tree walking exercise again.

"Your chakra is unbalanced."

Sasuke gasped and slid down the tree. Taken by surprise, he couldn't react fast enough to land on his feet. Hound leapt forward gracefully and caught Sasuke with ease. He placed Sasuke on the ground and ignored the disgruntled glare on the boy's face.

"Thank you, Hound-san." Iruka briefly glanced at him before turning his back on the ANBU.

Hound narrowed his eyes. He was already unsettled because he hadn't even noticed Iruka approaching, but to be dismissed so disrespectfully!

"You favour your right leg, Sasuke-kun. Put a little more chakra in your left leg for better balance," Iruka instructed.

Sasuke looked skeptical, but nodded. It couldn't hurt to try. He began practicing again.

Hound had not moved away. He was staring hard at Iruka's back. His behaviour wouldn't please the hokage, but he was going to put the chunin in his place. He moved closer to Iruka.

Iruka looked over his shoulder at Hound and smiled genuinely. Hound froze, eyes going wide behind his mask. Why was the teen smiling at him? He was seconds away from pummelling the brat.

"I'm sorry for being so abrupt," Iruka said sheepishly, his cheeks flushing. "Hound-san, I really mean it. Thank you."

Iruka turned to fully face him. The chunin's smile was warm and lacked all the hostility Iruka had initially shown him.

Hound's face felt hot. He nodded stiffly and disappeared before he could make an even bigger fool out of himself.

Iruka stared at the spot the ANBU had been in and his smile widened mischievously. "I hope we meet again, Hound-san," he thought to himself.

**AN:**

Stay tuned! Naruto will be in the next chapter, and Iruka won't be the only one changing professions!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Compassion**

Iruka and Sasuke had fallen into a routine. Although Iruka technically worked part-time at the mission desk, he had secured 45 hours of work a week. His longest shifts were on the weekend and he worked from open to close. During the weekdays, Iruka would go to the mission desk three times a week in the afternoons. His weekday mornings were spent shadowing academy teachers until noon. Iruka felt drained by the time he got home, but he made an effort to prepare dinner and help Sasuke with his training. After Sasuke went to bed, Iruka would spend an hour or two reading through his school textbooks.

Sasuke had not realized the extent of Iruka's workload at first. After the first week of observation, he began to feel guilt. Iruka was working long hours to support him. He had lost his job and been demoted because of Sasuke. On top of that, Iruka still made effort to teach him and cook for him. He purchased clothes and training weapons (only to be used under Iruka's watch) for Sasuke. He had even splurged and bought books so that Sasuke wouldn't only train. Sasuke also had his own key to the small apartment so that he could come and go while Iruka was working.

During the second week, Sasuke decided to make breakfast while Iruka got ready for work. He pushed a chair towards the kitchen counter and pulled out tea leaves. Iruka had prepared rice last nice and he could heat that up and make some egg to go with it. Sasuke set to work.

"Good morn…Sasuke-kun?" Iruka openly gaped at the breakfast carefully laid out on the kitchen table.

Sasuke scowled. "Hurry up and eat. You're going to be late," he mumbled, trying to hide his flushing face.

Iruka beamed. "Itadakimasu!" Iruka wolfed down the food.

The rice had been burnt a little, the egg was runny and too salty, and the tea was bitter and oversteeped. Iruka kept his face lowered so that Sasuke wouldn't see his pained expression as he swallowed every last bite.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" Iruka moved to put away the plates, but Sasuke stopped him.

"I'll clean it up after I eat. Just go to work already."

Iruka ruffled Sasuke's hair and bid him goodbye.

Sasuke sighed and sat down at the table with his own plate. He took a big bite of the eggs and spluttered. His wide eyes looked at Iruka's spotless plate. Why hadn't Iruka said anything?

Sasuke forced himself to down the awful breakfast just as Iruka had done. He was determined to do better next time. Tonight when Iruka made dinner and lunch for the following day, Sasuke would carefully observe him.

Hound chuckled. He had been spying on Iruka and Sasuke on and off for the past week for reasons he couldn't even begin to explain. They provided him with a source of entertainment while he waited to be assigned another mission. Most of his missions these days didn't take longer than a day, if that. It was a quiet time for the nations. The biggest problem Konoha had right now was finding Uchiha Itachi and bringing him to justice. So Hound found himself with more time off that he preferred, but it gave him a chance to progress his new favourite hobby – Iruka-stalking.

Hound perched himself on a wide branch overlooking the academy. There was a better branch with a clearer view of Iruka, but he didn't want to arouse suspicion. Changing branches made Iruka stalking more difficult, but it made it harder to catch Hound. Sometimes Iruka looked outside the windows of the academy as if he knew someone was watching him. This pleased Hound. Iruka's intuition would come in handy when he became a full-time teacher.

Iruka walked into Hound's view. He was dripping wet.

Hound choked. Why did Iruka wear white again? It was impractical.

Iruka was alone in the bathroom apparently, because he began to strip. Hound flushed with guilty pleasure. He had lost his sense of modesty at an early age. Iruka walked out of view as he untied the drawstring of his pants. Hound debated moving to another branch with a better view inside the room, but Iruka walked back into view. He was wearing a standard chunin uniform without a flak jacket. It must have been a spare in the school's supply room because it was overly large. Iruka readjusted the drawstring of the pants and rolled back the sleeves of his shirt.

Hound thought he looked cute, and young. He reminded himself that Iruka must only be a few years younger than himself. Hound settled back against his branch and waited patiently for Iruka to walk into one of the academy classrooms. Iruka hadn't reappeared anywhere when an ANBU jumped onto his branch.

"The hokage is requesting your presence." Owl bowed her head minutely and disappeared.

Hound sighed inaudibly and jumped away from the academy. He wasted no time in getting to the hokage's office, arriving punctually.

"Hokage-sama," Hound greeted, bowing.

Sandaime smiled warmly. "I have a mission for you. You might even find it challenging," he said playfully. He rolled his eyes inwardly when Hound didn't react.

"You are no longer ANBU." Sarutobi was serious now. "This is a top secret mission, and I will require you to take the role of a jounin. You will do reconnaissance and collection information of the whereabouts of Uchiha Itachi. Do not engage him in a fight. You are only to observe and report directly to me. As an ANBU your presence would attract attention, but as Hatake Kakashi, it would make sense for you to take S-class missions. You also will have an excuse to go to the mission room and keep an eye on Umino Iruka."

Hound took off his mask. "Umino Iruka? You suspect him of being in league with the Uchiha?" Kakashi frowned.

"No," Sarutobi admitted. "But he knows Itachi on a personal level and that might be useful. Something beyond my knowledge occurred the night of the Uchiha massacre, and my intuition tells me that the elders had a role in it. I cannot act until I have proof however, and that is where you will come in."

Kakashi nodded. "When do I begin?"

"Immediately."

**Three Months Later…**

Sasuke collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.

Iruka frowned. "You're using too much chakra to throw the shuriken. Learn to throw the shuriken without using any chakra at all first. In fact, I know someone who uses shuriken that weigh ten times as much as regular shuriken. You can practice with those to increase the strength in your arms."

Sasuke didn't even bother to hide his wince. Iruka chuckled at that. "We'll practice together," he offered.

Sasuke offered Iruka a genuine smile. In many ways, Iruka reminded him of Itachi. Iruka was cheerful and warm whereas Itachi was cool and distant, but both shared an intensity and focus that motivated Sasuke to do his best. Iruka had kept his word and had begun training him whenever he could spare time. As a result, Sasuke had found himself wanting to earn Iruka's praise, and Iruka, unlike Itachi, freely gave it to Sasuke.

Iruka was also surprisingly hot-tempered. Sasuke had learned the hard way not to get on Iruka's bad side. He shuddered as he remembered how red Iruka's face became when he had found Sasuke fighting with another boy. Iruka hadn't yelled at him, but his calm, even voice had reminded him of Itachi. It was infinitely more frightening coming from the assistant teacher though. Sasuke didn't like when Iruka lost his warmth. It almost felt like having his mother back. Once in a while, Iruka would bake and Sasuke would try not to cry as the scents he associated with his mother flooded the house.

"Sasuke-kun?" Iruka knelt down next to him and held out a canteen of water. "Are you all right?"

"How did you get that scar?" Sasuke asked, accepting the water.

Iruka didn't even blink. "I was six and I walked into a field of academy students doing target practice."

Sasuke frowned. He had expected a better story. Iruka grinned knowingly. "Let's go home. I think you've had enough for today. You could continue, but your chakra would be too depleted to do any training tomorrow."

Sasuke reached for Iruka's outstretched hand, but his body refused to cooperate. Iruka shook his head. "You overdid it again, idiot."

Iruka scooped the boy into his arms and carried him home. Sasuke fell asleep before he could muster up a convincing demand to be set down.

Iruka lay Sasuke down on the sofa when he got home. They hadn't eaten dinner yet, so Sasuke could rest while Iruka prepared dinner. Unbeknownst to the teen, a little boy was precariously perched in a tree, trying to peer in through the window.

Naruto wiped his runny nose on his dirty and torn sleeve. He was asking for trouble by spying on the chunin and the kid, but he had seen them in the training field and wanted to watch them for a little bit longer. Naruto had spent the day foraging for food and hiding from the townspeople. He had found a bag of half rotten fruit and had retired to the empty training field to have lunch. Fortunately, he had been sitting behind a tree when Iruka and Sasuke had come into the field. Naruto couldn't help but watch as Iruka carefully instructed Sasuke. A longing had filled his heart, but what he desperately wanted was so out of reach.

Naruto had settled for listening to Iruka's instructions so he could also practice, just like Sasuke!

_"Use your hands to give yourself momentum. When you've perfected that, you can try the kick without using your hands. I'll show you what it looks like!" _

_Iruka squared his shoulders and slid his left foot forward. His movements were slow so that Sasuke could watch him. Iruka used the weight of his body to propel his right leg in a powerful sweep. Sasuke's eyes were determined._

_"Now this is how it'll look when you use it properly," Iruka said. _

_Naruto could barely see Iruka. He moved so fast! Iruka foot had demolished a tree trunk this time. Naruto gasped. Iruka's eyes flickered over to his hiding spot, but the chunin didn't approach him._

_He's so strong_, Naruto thought to himself. _I want to be that strong, and then no one will hurt me again._

Naruto sniffed and leaned forward, trying to smell more of the delicious aroma that had pulled him back to the present. Iruka was cooking something. The branch cracked and Naruto screamed as he fell roughly to the ground. He felt a breeze and then warm arms lifted him. Naruto opened his eyes and stared up into Iruka's horrified face.

Naruto trembled and violently struggled. "I'm sorry! Let me go! I'm sorry!"

Iruka held him tightly. "Cut that out! I just want to see if you're okay!"

Naruto stopped moving. "Me?"

Iruka frowned. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

Naruto's sniffed. "No," he lied. "Let me go…please?"

Iruka's frown only deepened. He set Naruto on the ground, but held him by one wrist as he examined the boy on his own. There was a nasty bruise forming on Naruto's leg.

He examined the tattered clothes and filthy face. "Did you run away?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head, eyes downcast. "They didn't want me there."

"What's your name?" Iruka felt overwhelming pity for this child that Konoha failed. _He isn't the first and he won't be the last_, Iruka thought bitterly.

"Naruto."

Iruka gasped. "Naruto?"

Naruto tried to pull his wrist away. Iruka had reacted to his name like the caretakers at the orphanage had. He had to get away before Iruka could hurt him. He managed to slip his wrist out of a stunned Iruka's grasp, but his leg was in so much pain. He collapsed only steps away from the chunin. Iruka hurried over and lifted him easily.

"Idiot! You could have hurt yourself even more!" Iruka chided.

Naruto winced. He was trembling again. "Don't hurt me," he pleaded. "I'll go away, please."

Iruka's face softened. "I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured. "You can stay with us until your leg heals, okay? Then you can leave if you want."

Naruto gaped. "Stay?"

Iruka nodded. "Sasuke won't mind." Iruka sweatdropped internally. Sasuke probably would mind, but he'd deal with that later.

"You can take a hot bath, and I made ramen for dinner," Iruka added.

Naruto couldn't breathe. Was this really happening? He looked at his leg. Well it's not like he could escape anyway, so he may as well.

"O..okay," he whispered. His hands had reached out to clutch Iruka's shirt while he had been deciding.

Iruka didn't seem to mind, so Naruto left his hands cocooned in the warmth.

**Next Chapter:**

More Naruto! What will Sasuke think about the interloper in his bed?


End file.
